Dinner / Casseroles & pot pies
Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
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Cheese sauce made from scratch, tender broccoli, rice that stays rice, and a buttery crumb that crackles under the spoon. It's the casserole you carry to a friend who needs dinner and a hug.
The short version
Sear the chicken, make a quick cheese sauce in the same pan, fold in cooked rice and raw broccoli, spread it in a 9×13 dish, and bake covered at 375°F for 30 minutes. Uncover, add buttered panko, and bake 10 to 12 minutes more. Use cooked rice, and cut the chicken small so it cooks through.
What makes ours better
small changes, very loud compliments
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Make the cheese sauce from scratch. Butter, flour, broth, milk and cheese take 10 minutes. The result is creamier, tastes like real cheddar, and doesn't have the canned-soup salt.
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Add Dijon and a pinch of garlic powder. They sharpen the cheese and keep a rich casserole from tasting heavy. You won't taste mustard.
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Use cooked rice and raw broccoli. Cooked rice doesn't soak up the sauce and turn to paste, and raw broccoli steams in the covered bake and stays green and just tender instead of limp.
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Finish uncovered with buttered panko. The covered bake cooks everything gently, and the uncovered finish turns the top crisp and golden.
What you need
check the pantry before you promise anyone
- Unsalted butter4 tablespoons
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts1½ pounds
- Yellow onion1 medium
- Dijon mustard1 teaspoon
- Sharp cheddar2 cups
- Small broccoli florets5 cups
- Panko¾ cup
- Grated Parmesan¼ cup
Casserole
Topping
tap each one as it goes in. no double-salting.
Steps
go slow. the good part can’t be rushed.
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Heat the oven, prep the dish
Heat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle. Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish. Mix the panko, melted butter and Parmesan in a small bowl and set aside.
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Sear the chicken
Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon of the salt and cook in a single layer for 3 to 4 minutes, until the outsides turn white. It will finish in the oven. Transfer it to a bowl.
Work in two batches if the pan is crowded. Chicken that steams instead of sears gets rubbery.
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Cook the onion and garlic
Lower the heat to medium. Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in the same skillet, add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
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Make the cheese sauce
Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute. Whisk in the broth a little at a time, then the milk. Simmer, whisking, until thick enough to coat a spoon, about 4 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the Dijon, garlic powder, pepper, the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and the cheddar until smooth.
About 4 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Combine
Fold the rice, broccoli and chicken, along with any juices from the bowl, into the sauce. Spread it in the baking dish and press it level.
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Bake covered
Cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes, until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the broccoli is just tender.
About 30 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Add the topping and finish
Remove the foil, scatter the panko mixture over the top, and bake 10 to 12 minutes more, until golden. The chicken should read 165°F in the center when you check it.
Check the temperature in a piece of chicken near the middle of the dish, not at the edge.
About 11 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Rest
Let the casserole rest 5 minutes so the sauce settles and thickens a bit.
About 5 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
Good to know
read this before somebody asks for seconds
- Use cooked rice that's cooled a bit. Raw rice won't cook in this amount of liquid, and instant rice turns to paste.
- Frozen broccoli works. Don't thaw it, and bake the covered stage 5 minutes longer.
- Short on time? Use 4 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken and skip searing. Add it with the rice and bake the same way.
- Make ahead by assembling without the topping and chilling up to 2 days. Add the topping and bake the covered stage for 40 minutes.
- Storage. Fridge, 4 days. Freezer, 2 months, without the topping. Reheat covered in a 350°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or in the microwave with a splash of milk.
Questions, answered
asked and answered at the kitchen counter
Do I have to cook the rice first?
Yes. The sauce doesn't have enough liquid to cook raw rice and the baking time is too short. One cup of dry long-grain rice gives about 3 cups cooked.
Can I use brown rice?
Yes, if it's already cooked. Add a few tablespoons of extra milk to the sauce, since brown rice is a little thirstier.
Why is my casserole watery?
Either the sauce was too thin before baking or the broccoli was wet. Simmer the sauce until it coats a spoon, and drain frozen broccoli well.
Can I use chicken thighs?
Yes. Cut boneless skinless thighs into the same size pieces. They stay juicier and are harder to overcook.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. Assemble without the topping, cover, and chill up to 2 days. Add the topping before baking, and bake covered for about 40 minutes.
How do I know the chicken is done?
It reads 165°F in the middle of a piece, and the juices run clear. Smaller pieces reach that temperature much faster.
From the table
Made it? I want the full report: first bite, best compliment, and who tried to take the leftovers home.
Made it?
tell me the truth, then tell me who had thirds
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Published October 29, 2026.